Been lurking and reading. New RRS has hit Australia and I'm considering this as a replacement for my R50 V10 Touareg. Dealer sells both brands, but parts manager says don't expect VW reliability from the RR ?
I am keen on the RRS because it has off road ability, want diesel and know I will have to take less in performance , the .4 zero to sixty difference is not what I'm concerned about, it is more about reliability and handling.

Like the fact that the RRS has full size spare, not throwing a spare on the roof when I go bush. Like the Touareg V10 motor for the fantastic German engineering. The RRS seems to have better appointments inside , but this I will discover as soon as I can drive a demo.

Will I regret the Change ?

Only time will tell

I don't think you will regret it . I would check with your dealer how far into the bush he is prepared to come and collect it after it breaks down though as your dealer is right they are not as reliable as the VW, but has far more grin factor.

Agree with DRDILL we don't know that yet, mate at work has a VW Touareg it has had a new gear box, steering rack, ECU, rear suspension all within the first year, he tows a burger van once a week, won't tell you what other mates X5 BMW has had. So it's not just LR or RR's that have problems

Yes I understand it will be personal experience , the R50 is a brillant car on the road, with very good road manners and an engine to die for. Off road it is let down by air dams on the front , and no spare. In my pictures I have a photo of the R50 on the world's largest sandy Island, Fraser Island, a mecca for 4WD's. The R50 was great on the sand , but the clearance meant I lost the air dam. In Australia the pricing is very close up to HSE specs, except the R50 has been replaced by the R-Line which in V8 diesel trim has only half the features of the R50, hence my consideration of the RRS.

Go for it you won't regret it you'll have a grin from ear to ear every time you drive it, the only way you could better it would be to go for big brother Range Rover best 4x4 on the planet and it's British

PS, check out "you tube" see what they can do!!

In my experience VW Reliability is a myth!

If you think that Land Rover products are unreliable then have a surf around the many VW forums online and read the horror stories you find there.

Jim

MIne has been pretty good, first V10 had a few niggles but sorted quickly. THe R50 has never had an issue and perhaps this is just about later model? Of course we know problems are posted on sites , and it seems to me the RR and D4 sites seem to have horror stories , more about broken engines and slow repairs then elsewhere ? I don't expect Euro vehicles, including Land Rover to be problem free, I did own a RR 20 years ago and have fond memories due to little problems.

The message is get my ares in one and find out I suppose.

Hi sorry for my negativity your right i have no grounds to criticize the reliability of the 2014 RRS just going on the problems from 2005-2013 .
The 2014 is new from the ground up so fingers crossed they have got it right this year
If you are really keen to buy one just give it another 6 months and monitor the forums for real owner feedback.
For me the Range rover be it sport or vogue are the best 4x4 luxury vehicles around . I have owned a X5 and a Q7 and had problems with them both.
My RRS has also given me a few problems but for me its better and gives me the grin factor every time look at it. and the V8 power is awesome .

Hello IR , I have had both and sometimes regret getting rid of the R50 as it was a superb car, and never saw another one on the road, as very exclusive in the UK. With the RRS I see 10 a day at least, but on saying that it is a superb car, and I am one of lucky ones with no issues at all and love driving it everyday. I would also say the build quality of the interior was also far superior in the RRS, but the VW was a lot cheaper and a serious amount of car for the money.
Best test drive one and you will make your own mind up.

 Current Volvo XC90 R Design T8
Gone 2010 TDV8. Stornoway Grey
Gone VW R50, AUDI S8, ML320 Sport, FFRR V8
Stolen 2007 TDV8.

JPR 1, I've not seen that model in the R50 , that was the T1 , which I owned in a standard V10 . Always thought those roof racks were the best, mine now has rails which don't look nearly as purposeful. Good to get the opinion of some one who has owned both. You are right about the R50 being rare, only about 150 in Australia all up and you see few, although they look pretty similar to the rest of the Touaregs about. In Aussie dollars the RRS and R50 are fairly similar in price up to the Mid Spec RRS , we get gouged over here by VW where as RR sell pretty much the same price as the rest of the world, so more bang for your buck in the RRS in my opinion. I did drive the RRS in the older model but it felt slow and soft compared to the Touareg , as you say better fit out but on black top I felt the Touareg a little better. Off road I would think the RR had the No. 1 spot , although I have done a fair bit of gravel tracks with the Touareg and it isn't to bad.
It seems that the members here give the new RRS a big thumbs up and this is really what I want to see positive owner experience. Presently we only have dealer demos turning up , some pre orders have been sold and I would think I would not buy until first quarter next year as supply will be an issue. I will shoot for a SDV 6 and between now and purchase try and work out which options I would like,

Hello again,
Love the R50 in blue.
I don't think you will be disappointed, a great car, but I loved the R50 the power was immense, I also had it tuned by Hofele which gave the car extra BHP, the front end nearly lifted off the ground when you floored it.
But with ever increasing fuel costs here in the UK, I decided I had to get something more practical, that's what I told the wife, RRS TDV8.

Good luck with you choice, and keep us informed. Current Volvo XC90 R Design T8
Gone 2010 TDV8. Stornoway Grey
Gone VW R50, AUDI S8, ML320 Sport, FFRR V8
Stolen 2007 TDV8.

I think that you will find the SDV6 too pedestrian after the V10 Treg. In fact most things will seem a little lacking to you now. Think hard because that power and Q is very addictive and you might miss it. There is plenty to recommend an RRS but unless you buy an SC, performance will be an issue (to you) albeit fine to most who have not had the V10 Gone - 2008 Stornoway Grey RRS 2.7 TDV6
Gone - 2009 Buckingham Blue RRS 2.7 TDV6
Gone - 2010 Alaska White RRS 5.0 V8 Aspirated
Gone - 2017 Chawton White RRS 5.0 V8 Supercharged
Current - 2010 Java Black RRS 5.0 V8 Aspirated
Current- 2024 RRS P400 SE Dynamic

Yes the power is very addictive. I can hook a 2 ton trailer up and still pass cars going up the pass out of Wollongong. Very hard to choose next vehicle when one gets into this range of vehicle. I had a good look at the R-Line but just wasn't enough there to make me change.
The local dealer has got me down for a test drive as soon as they get a SDV6 in , I will not do anything untill next year by this time from reading on this site there will be some upgrades done.